History of Photography Explains Your Selfie in 5 Minutes

Ready for a five-minute history lesson? COOPH is out with their latest video that breaks down the history of photography and of course who took the first selfie. Robert Cornelius in 1839. I wonder how many followers he had and if he went #nofilters. Brother, that looks awfully like sepia…

Who do we have to thank for the term ‘photography?’ Sir John Herschel, who combined the Greek words for light drawing – phos and graphe. From there, COOPH takes us on a journey on the human condition. Give us a camera and we will take nude photos.

See, it’s not a generational thing. It’s a human thing.

Who was the first victim of Photoshop? Abraham Lincoln. In 1861, his head was ‘cut and pasted’ onto a more noble looking body. Honest Abe a victim of Civil War-era ‘photoshop?’ I find it disturbing the photo manipulation looks better than magazine covers today.

Photography would continue to progress from mobile studios in covered wagons to the Leicas that captured the most iconic images of our time.

Kodak rose with the accessibility of film-based cameras but fell apart after it was slow to adapt to digital. The company waited until 2004 to make the switch and filed for bankruptcy in 2012. All isn’t lost for Kodak, though. The company is looking to make a splash with its Super 8 camera later this year.

Today? Your smartphone is the window to the world. Flagship phones from the likes of Apple, Samsung, LG and others all pack powerful cameras right in your pocket.

Where do we go from here? I’m not giving up my DSLR, but the iPhone 7 rumors point to a dual camera on the back to give the next iPhone DSLR-like capabilities.

COOPH delivers again. They aren’t just history buffs. The channel will have your Instagram feed looking damn good in no time with the quick hit tutorials.

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